March 6th Friday Focus- Tracking the Policies Shaping Oklahoma’s Classrooms and Kids
THIS WEEK: the first committee deadline has passed at the Oklahoma Capitol! Today’s Friday Focus highlights which bills impacting Oklahoma classrooms and kids are still alive—and what to watch as legislation moves toward floor votes.
Bills We Are Championing
HB 3638 – Summer EBT Implementation - creates a pathway for Oklahoma to participate in the federal Summer EBT program beginning in 2027, helping ensure kids have access to food when school meals are unavailable. (B.O.O.K. Safe, Healthy & Supportive Schools) THIS BILL PASSED UNANIMOUSLY THROUGH BOTH HOUSE COMMITTEES AND IS HEADED TO THE HOUSE FLOOR!! Much thanks to all of you who jumped to the call to advocate for this bill - our people sent over 674 emails! Great work team! (B.O.O.K. Safe, Healthy & Supportive Schools)
SB 1895 – Community Eligibility Provision for No-Cost Meals - requires public school districts in Oklahoma to notify the State Department of Education each year if they are eligible for the federal “community eligibility provision” but choose not to participate, identifying barriers districts may be facing and allow data informed approaches in coming years to address those barriers and ensure more children receive access to no-cost healthy meals while at school. Up next - Senate Floor! (B.O.O.K. Safe, Healthy & Supportive Schools)
HB3698 - Student Eviction Assistance Revolving Fund - within the Oklahoma State Department of Education to address chronic absenteeism linked to unstable housing by providing legal representation to indigent tenants with school-aged children in eviction cases, known as forcible entry and detainer actions. Up next - House Floor! (B.O.O.K. Safe, Healthy & Supportive Schools)
SB1481 & SB2045 - Increased Recess Time - these bills require public elementary schools in Oklahoma to provide students with up to 40 minutes more of outside recess time daily. Up next - Senate Floor! (B.O.O.K. Improving Student Performance)
HB4326 - OHLAP Expansion - expands the Oklahoma's Promise for higher learning access to include career tech tuition, foster children, and children of counselors, librarians, school nurses, athletic trainers, tech school teachers. Up next - House Floor! (B.O.O.K. Supporting the Teaching Profession)
Bills We Are Opposing
HB3705 - Parental Choice Tax Credit Expansion - increasing the total amount of tax credits authorized for private school tuition and fees. Specifically, for the fiscal year 2027 and subsequent fiscal years, the annual limit for these credits will be $300 million, with provisions to increase this limit by $50 million each succeeding fiscal year if 90% of the previous year's credit limit is claimed. (B.O.O.K. Ensuring Adequate Resources)
Bills We Are Watching
Literacy Reform and Teacher Pay/Benefits Bills - there are still several bills alive in these categories. We will be reevaluating the bills that made it through round one and monitoring both categories for positive or negative changes. (B.O.O.K. Improving Student Performance and Supporting the Teaching Profession)
What Didn't Make It Through
SB1373 - Healthy Meals for Healthy Kids - this bill would have provided Universal Healthy Meals for all kids attending Oklahoma public schools. This was on of our Top Tier bills and we plan to continue this goal in future sessions.
SB1374 - THRIVE Act - this bill would have provided funding for children who qualify for reduced lunches to be placed in the free lunch category. It made it thorough the Senate Ed committee, but did not receive a Senate Appropriations hearing due to the tight budget constraints of the legislature this year. We will continue pushing toward this goal in future sessions.
SB1391 - Parental Choice Tax Credit Accountability - this bill would have reduced the cap of public dollars funding private schools and also required state testing for students utilizing the PCTC.
HB3550 - Teacher Pay Raises by CPI- this bill would have incorporated annual raises based on the Consumer Price Index to automatically adjust for inflation. This is a concept we will continue to pursue.
What's Coming Up Next
There are still many other public education bills alive that we have not highlighted here. You can check them out on our 2026 Bill Tracker to follow the whole set of what is still moving. Visit https://www.advanceokkids.org/billtrack
Surviving bills now move to floor consideration in their chamber of origin.
The next major deadline is March 26th, when all remaining bills have to be voted for on their respective floors in order to cross over and advance to the opposite chamber.
Amendments and negotiations often intensify at this stage.
To keep up with what bills are being scheduled to be heard on the floor, or to watch floor debate, visit the links below for Floor Agendas & Livestreams daily to stay updated
Ways To Take Action
Advocate Action Immediately Ahead
Now is when you will start hearing from us during the week - if any of our key champion bills or opposition bills come up for vote, WE WILL NEED YOUR VOICES! Stay tuned for increased activity where YOU can now get directly involved in active advocacy!
Friday Focus is a weekly legislative update from Advance Oklahoma’s Kids, a project of Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, tracking policies impacting students and families across Oklahoma.
Advance Oklahoma's Kids Coalition Members in the News
2/5/26 - Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy - The Antlers American - Meeting With Junior Secretary of State
2/5/26 - Oklahoma Appleseed - KOSU/NPR - Civil rights groups call for rejection of Jewish charter school in Oklahoma
2/8/26 - Oklahoma Appleseed (Anne OpEd) - Tulsa World - Dr. Anne Uhlman - SB 1373 a critical investment in education system
2/9/26 - Oklahoma Appleseed - KFOR - Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board unanimously voted to reject an application submitted by the Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation.
2/9/26 - Oklahoma Appleseed - Freedom from Religion Foundation - Secular groups applaud Okla. board for rejecting nation’s first religious public school
2/10/26 - Oklahoma Appleseed - The Christian Post - Oklahoma officials reject creation of first Jewish charter school; appeal expec
2/10/26 - Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy - Pauls Valley Democrat - Youth governors take the oath
2/11/26 - Oklahoma Appleseed - Baptist News - In Oklahoma and Tennessee, religious charter schools face barriers
2/12/26 -Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy - KWSO -Oklahoma child advocates gather in Lawton to learn about local programs for kids
2/12/26 -Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy - Newcastle Pacer - As the legislature begins, the ‘readings’ of bills are important to understand
2/15 - Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition - The NREA Rural Scoop Podcast - Coalition Building Across Rural & Urban Schools
2/17 - Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy - Pauls Valley Democrat - Prepare Children for their Educational Years by Reading to Them
3/4 - Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy - Poteau Daily News - OICA continues advocacy efforts as lawmakers enter second month of session
Upcoming Events & Important Dates
March 10th - Oklahoma Institute of Child Advocacy Capitol Chili Cookoff
Legislative Deadlines:
March 26 - bills out of chamber of origin
April 9 - Senate bills out of House chamber policy & sub committees
April 23 - Senate bills out of House oversight and appropriations committees, House bills out of Senate committees
May 7 - all bills out of opposite chamber and to Governor
May 31 - Sine Die (end of session)
Advance Oklahoma’s Kids is a coalition led by organizations, parents, and students who are working to make Oklahoma's public schools more equitable and ensure they’re fully funded.
Our B.O.O.K. (Better Outcomes for Oklahoma's Kids) Policy Initiative calls on Oklahomans to set aside partisanship to deliver a bold, realistic agenda for Oklahoma's public schools. We will inspire Oklahomans to work together toward advancing 16 policy recommendations across four themes: Strengthening the Teaching Profession, Ensuring Adequate Resources, Improving Student Performance, and Creating Healthy, Safe and Supportive School Environments. With over 700,000 students depending on public education, B.O.O.K. lays out a roadmap to strengthening our schools and securing better outcomes for every Oklahoma child.
Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice
Oklahoma Instititute for Child Advocacy
Generation Citizen
Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition
Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma
My Brother’s Keeper